Historical Events on February 29, Facts & Special Events On This Day

1504

Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Native Americans to provide him with supplies.

1644

Abel Tasman's second Pacific voyage began.

1704

Queen Anne's War: French forces and Native Americans stage a raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, killing 56 villagers and taking more than 100 captive.

1712

February 29 is followed by February 30 in Sweden, in a move to abolish the Swedish calendar for a return to the Julian calendar.

1720

Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden abdicates in favour of her husband, who becomes King Frederick I on 24 March.

1752

King Alaungpaya founds Konbaung Dynasty, the last dynasty of Burmese monarchy.

1768

Polish nobles formed Bar Confederation.

1796

The Jay Treaty between the United States and Great Britain comes into force, facilitating ten years of peaceful trade between the two nations.

1864

American Civil War: Kilpatrick-Dahlgren Raid fails: Plans to free 15,000 Union soldiers being held near Richmond, Virginia are thwarted.

1892

Child labor: In South Carolina, the minimum working age for factory, mill, and mine workers is raised from twelve to fourteen years old.

1920

Czechoslovak National assembly adopted the Constitution.

1936

February 26 Incident in Tokyo ends.

1940

For her performance as "Mammy" in Gone with the Wind, Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Academy Award.

1940

Finland initiates Winter War peace negotiations.

1940

In a ceremony held in Berkeley, California, because of the war, physicist Ernest Lawrence receives the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics from Sweden's Consul General in San Francisco.

1944

World War II: The Admiralty Islands are invaded in Operation Brewer led by American General Douglas MacArthur.

1952

The island of Heligoland is restored to West German authority.

1960

The 5.7 Mw Agadir earthquake shakes coastal Morocco with a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme), destroying Agadir, and leaving 12,000 dead and another 12,000 injured.

1964

In Sydney, Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser sets a new world record in the 100-meter freestyle swimming competition (58.9 seconds).

1972

Vietnam War: Vietnamization: South Korea withdraws 11,000 of its 48,000 troops from Vietnam.

1980

Gordie Howe of the then Hartford Whalers makes NHL history as he scores his 800th goal.

1988

South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is arrested along with 100 clergymen during a five-day anti-apartheid demonstration in Cape Town.

1988

Svend Robinson becomes the first member of the Canadian House of Commons to come out as gay.

1992

First day of Bosnia and Herzegovina independence referendum.

1996

Faucett Flight 251 crashes in the Andes, all 123 passengers and crew died.

1996

Siege of Sarajevo officially ends.

2000

Second Chechen War: Eighty-four Russian paratroopers are killed in a rebel attack on a guard post near Ulus Kert.

2004

Jean-Bertrand Aristide is removed as President of Haiti following a coup.

2008

The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence decides to withdraw Prince Harry from a tour of Afghanistan "immediately" after a leak led to his deployment being reported by foreign media.

2008

Misha Defonseca admits to fabricating her memoir, Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years, in which she claimed to have lived with a pack of wolves in the woods during the Holocaust.

2012

Tokyo Skytree construction completed. It is, as of 2017, the tallest tower in the world, 634 meters high, and second tallest (man-made) structure on Earth, next to Burj Khalifa.

February 29 in History

Historical Events on February 29

Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Native Americans to provide him with supplies.

Abel Tasman's second Pacific voyage began.

Queen Anne's War: French forces and Native Americans stage a raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, killing 56 villagers and taking more than 100 captive.

February 29 is followed by February 30 in Sweden, in a move to abolish the Swedish calendar for a return to the Julian calendar.

Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden abdicates in favour of her husband, who becomes King Frederick I on 24 March.

King Alaungpaya founds Konbaung Dynasty, the last dynasty of Burmese monarchy.

Polish nobles formed Bar Confederation.

The Jay Treaty between the United States and Great Britain comes into force, facilitating ten years of peaceful trade between the two nations.

American Civil War: Kilpatrick-Dahlgren Raid fails: Plans to free 15,000 Union soldiers being held near Richmond, Virginia are thwarted.

St. Petersburg, Florida is incorporated.

The Piedra Movediza (Moving Stone) of Tandil falls and breaks.

Tokelau is annexed by the United Kingdom.

Child labor: In South Carolina, the minimum working age for factory, mill, and mine workers is raised from twelve to fourteen years old.

Czechoslovak National assembly adopted the Constitution.

February 26 Incident in Tokyo ends.

For her performance as "Mammy" in Gone with the Wind, Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Academy Award.

Finland initiates Winter War peace negotiations.

In a ceremony held in Berkeley, California, because of the war, physicist Ernest Lawrence receives the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics from Sweden's Consul General in San Francisco.

World War II: The Admiralty Islands are invaded in Operation Brewer led by American General Douglas MacArthur.

The island of Heligoland is restored to West German authority.

The 5.7 Mw Agadir earthquake shakes coastal Morocco with a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme), destroying Agadir, and leaving 12,000 dead and another 12,000 injured.

In Sydney, Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser sets a new world record in the 100-meter freestyle swimming competition (58.9 seconds).

Vietnam War: Vietnamization: South Korea withdraws 11,000 of its 48,000 troops from Vietnam.

Gordie Howe of the then Hartford Whalers makes NHL history as he scores his 800th goal.

South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is arrested along with 100 clergymen during a five-day anti-apartheid demonstration in Cape Town.

Svend Robinson becomes the first member of the Canadian House of Commons to come out as gay.

First day of Bosnia and Herzegovina independence referendum.

Faucett Flight 251 crashes in the Andes, all 123 passengers and crew died.

Siege of Sarajevo officially ends.

Second Chechen War: Eighty-four Russian paratroopers are killed in a rebel attack on a guard post near Ulus Kert.

Jean-Bertrand Aristide is removed as President of Haiti following a coup.

The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence decides to withdraw Prince Harry from a tour of Afghanistan "immediately" after a leak led to his deployment being reported by foreign media.

Misha Defonseca admits to fabricating her memoir, Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years, in which she claimed to have lived with a pack of wolves in the woods during the Holocaust.

Tokyo Skytree construction completed. It is, as of 2017, the tallest tower in the world, 634 meters high, and second tallest (man-made) structure on Earth, next to Burj Khalifa.

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